As another successful year came to a close, there was still plenty of exciting news to report in December. We hailed the announcement from the national defence industry leaders on the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) that the Convention on the Establishment of the “GCAP International Government Organisation (the GIGO)” had been signed by their respective governments. Ministers from Italy, Japan and the UK signed the treaty, which marks an important agreement in the shared design and delivery of a next generation fighter aircraft by 2035. Following the announcement, the GCAP industry champions for defence electronics – including Leonardo UK representing the UK – welcomed the GIGO.

At the start of the month, we were delighted to announce the winners of our annual Apprentice of the Year awards for our UK Electronics and Cyber & Security businesses. Each year, we recognise trainees from across our business who have shown outstanding progress through their placements and academic studies. We congratulated the 2023 winners, all of whom reflected Leonardo's values throughout their work.

There was further cause for celebration in December as our colleague, Simon Tutcher, was awarded the Sir Ralph Robins Medal Award at this year’s Royal Aeronautical Society’s Honours, Medals and Awards ceremony in London. Simon, Chief Project Engineer for the AW101/EH101 aircraft at our Yeovil site, received the award for his key technical leadership role within the company, being responsible for the type design of new variants and the continuing airworthiness of the 170-strong fleet of in-service aircraft.

Applications opened for 2024 work experience programmes at our Yeovil site, the Home of British Helicopters, in December. To mark the occasion, we took a look back on the experience of students who made up the 2023 cohort. Watch out for news on work experience across our sites in the new year!

Also in the month, we caught up with Leonardo UK’s Director of Digital, Gareth Hetheridge, who spoke about how Leonardo is contributing to the future of Defence. A former Royal Air Force pilot, Gareth recounted his amazing career journey from his early days in the Air Force, to pioneering digital transformation in the defence industry.

We shared a deep-dive article looking at the growing threat of man-portable air defence systems (MANPADS) for military and civil aviation, and the subsequent requirement for Direct Infrared Countermeasures (DIRCM). In the piece, we explained how Leonardo’s  laser-based Miysis DIRCM uses multi-band high power laser energy to overwhelm a MANPADS seeker, and addresses the growing threat from increasingly sophisticated MANPADS that could distinguish between aircraft and traditional flare countermeasures.

We shared an update on how the Royal Navy has continued to develop its tactics, techniques, and procedures with successful firings of the Thales ‘Martlet’ Lightweight Multirole Missile (LMM) from Leonardo’s AW159 Wildcat helicopter. In addition to dealing with multiple surface threats, the LMM Martlet allows operators to engage air targets, such as UAVs and other crewed systems, giving the Wildcat greater teeth.

On International Volunteer Day, we took the opportunity to celebrate and thank our people who dedicate their time to volunteer for a range of important causes. Colleagues shared their personal experiences of volunteering and the benefits that it brings to them and those around them.

Soon afterwards, we were delighted to announce that the international rating agency S&P Global, which evaluates the environmental, social and governance aspects of over 13,000 companies in different sectors, had included Leonardo in the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index and in the Dow Jones Sustainability Europe Index.

We hope you have enjoyed our look back on the successes and achievements of everyone at Leonardo and we look forward to reporting on many more in 2024!

If our story sounds like something that you would like to be a part of in the New Year, why not learn more about Life at Leonardo? We offer a range of engineering and business opportunities to those starting their careers as well as those looking for their next big challenge. Visit our careers pages to find the role for you.